News Room

You've probably heard about or seen Dippin' Dots around, even if you've never had it before because the unique ice cream is everywhere – at movie theaters, theme parks, malls, fairs, festivals, and stadiums. The one-of-a-kind ice cream was invented in 1988 by a microbiologist, Curt Jones, and billed then as the "ice cream of the future." Dippin' Dots is what it is thanks to its standout beaded shape (via the Dippin' Dots website). The frozen treat is made, shipped, and stored at -49 degrees Fahrenheit and through a supply network scientists call the "cold chain." It's the same system that scientists are now looking at as they strategize the deployment of millions of COVID-19 vaccines across the country.

The much-awaited COVID-19 vaccine is going into arms around the world, and a second vaccine has been put into the arsenal. Now what? North Carolina's Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen said “it’s going to be well into the spring” before vaccines are “widely available to folks.” In the meantime, the state reported on Friday it's highest single-day count of COVID-19 cases.

More than 7,000 cases were reported in Arizona today alone and as COVID-19 cases rise, so does the number of travelers at airports. This weekend alone TSA screened more than 3 million passengers, nationwide despite the alarming surge in cases. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the Tucson Air Traffic Control towers are periodically closing due to staff members testing positive for COVID-19. Researchers believe airport screenings could be where the virus is spreading. “Security checkpoints are a small footprint of the large number of people congregating. It becomes a COVID-19 warzone,” said Sheldon Jacobson, a computer science professor at the University of Illinois.

Sherean Malekzadeh, who runs a marketing firm in Atlanta, hasn't been out to eat once since the pandemic was called in March. She skipped grocery stores for much of the year as well. Ordering online takes more time, "and you have to be on standby when the shoppers are there, in case they want to text you about missing items, but it makes me feel safer." Malekzadeh wasn't alone on that front. The pandemic changed our relationship with food in 2020. Online food ordering, from groceries and restaurants, was growing anyway, but this year it just got more popular faster. 

A new contact tracing mobile app called "WI Exposure Notification" is set to launch next week, giving Wisconsinites another tool to stop the spread of COVID-19. Gov. Tony Evers announced the app will go live Wednesday, Dec. 23. “We’re excited about this app’s potential to enhance our state’s response to COVID-19,” said Gov. Evers. “The voluntary WI Exposure Notification app is another tool in our toolbox to stop the spread. Because it lets you know faster if you’ve been in close contact with someone who’s tested positive, you can take steps to keep yourself safe and protect those around you. Also, the app doesn’t collect or use device location, so users will remain anonymous.”